By Tom Adams, Consultant, SonoscanBefore plastic-packaged ICs and other component types are mounted on a board, they are frequently inspected by a variety of methods including acoustic micro imaging tools to ensure quality. Ultrasound is able to reveal structural defects in ICs, flip chips, ceramic chip capacitors and ...

By Peter van den Eijnden, Managing Director, JTAG TechnologiesHaving worked within an established company in the world of PCB assembly testing for many years we still come across companies (OEMs) who will tell us, "We don't need to test, because we demand that the contract manufacturer (CM) only send us 100 percent working boards." But, demanding ...

By Will Meenan, Kaman Precision ProductsCondition monitoring that requires sensors is quickly becoming an imperative throughout many industries. New digital signal conditioner technology is available that simplifies the use of eddy current (inductive) displacement sensors for high-precision and high-reliability applications ...

By Tamara Drexler, Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbHThe key to securing the acceptance of autonomous vehicles lies in guaranteeing their safety. This includes data security, protecting against attacks and against the disclosure of confidential data, such as motion profiles, and ensuring the quality of data stored in the vehicle. Along ...

By Mary Kim, Marketing Manager, Koh YoungToday's inspection systems have moved far beyond simple, isolated machines that passively monitor PCBs on their way down the production line. Broad market demands for accuracy, quality and automation have pushed inspection providers to deliver solutions that make up integrated inspection ...

By Nicolas Prou, Product Manager, USB Connectors, Würth Elektronik eiSosOriginally designed for the consumer market, the universal serial bus (USB) rapidly became a standard in the field. Now, with the launch of USB 3.1, the technology is ready for industrial applications. USB completely replaced many other ports on computers in consumer markets, thereby ...

By Joe Torzillo, Vice President Sales, HMI Components, EAO Corp.Human Machine Interface (HMI) encompasses all the elements of interaction between a person and a machine. The task of the HMI designer is to create safe, reliable and ergonomic systems that allow the operator to monitor and control various machines and processes as efficiently as possible ...

By Hubertus Grobbel, Security Products Manager, Swissbit AGIIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and smart factories rely on sensors, actuators and systems that are networked and communicate with each other, but how can that data be safeguarded against espionage and sabotage? Smart and highly-flexible SD cards with integrated security for system ...

By Nicholas Wojtusik, Marketing Manager, NicomaticElectrical switches are necessary in almost every HMI (human-machine interface) and are used in everything from kitchen microwaves to military vehicles. Many companies rely on the activation life advertised by manufacturers, but the data is compiled in a strictly-controlled testing ...

By Allyn Jackson, CyberOptics Corp.Certain IC fabrication steps are very sensitive to moisture in semiconductor wafer environments. As the technology advances, the need for characterizing and minimizing the exposure to relative humidity (RH) has become critical in all 29 nm geometry fabs and below. These RH control requirements ...

By Camille Sybert and Michael Szuch, Nordson ASYMTEKAtomized spray is currently the most common method for applying conformal coating and works by dispersing material into a fine mist. Non-atomized coating, or selective coating, controls the coating material's dispense shape while maintaining its original liquid form. Selective coating ...

By Michael Ford, Senior Marketing Development Manager, Mentor Graphics Corp.For electronics manufacturing machine vendors, the ability to meet Industry 4.0 and smart factory needs is quickly becoming a must. A majority of those who are purchasing these systems have started or are about to start projects related to Industry 4.0 and require the level playing ...

By Karl-Heinz Fritz, Vice President of Technology and Development, Cicor Group, and Barbara Stumpp Hearing aids are a necessary part of life for many people. The devices should be as discreet as possible and are often fixed behind the ear or made to disappear completely into the ear canal, and must therefore be built very small. In any case, they must be reliable, interference-resistant ...

By Wolfgang Lehmann, Raylase AGThe use of today's laser technology has become standard in industrial manufacturing due to its speed, accuracy and effectiveness. Lasers are used to engrave parts, PCBs or chip cards. They perforate packaging, structure semiconductor wafers, drill, cut and weld plastics or metals, and ...

By Bjorn Dahle, President, KIC ThermalThe ultimate objective for an electronic manufacturer is to manufacture the required quality product in a sustainable way, to deliver the product to the customer within the allotted timeframe, and to do so at a cost that allows the manufacturer to be profitable and the price to be competitive. ...

By Sebastian Löeffler, Günter Reppe, Angela Rebs, Marcus Herrmann, Christopher Mauermann, Alexander Kaiser, and Karl-Heinz Fritz, Cicor Advanced Microelectronics & Substrates GmbHThick-film, hybrid ceramic substrates have provided a base for high-reliability circuits in the space, avionics, medical, and industrial markets for years. Along with new interposer substrates for mass production based on polymers, silicon and glass, thick-film ceramic can be a solution ...

By Scott Snell, Purex, Inc.For many of us, long gone are the days of working outdoors in the sunshine, with a satisfying breeze to keep us moving when we feel fatigued. These days, most of us work inside. Although being out of the elements is nice, most of us breathe the air that is available at our workplace ...

By Christine SchulzeAs the smart factory ideal becomes reality, a well-developed system of supply chain management with intelligent interfaces for procurement automation is of particular importance. Such systems increase the security of supply and the quality of processes, which leads to both reduced process ...